How femininity being redefined within streetwear

 In a fashion scene dominantly associated with male silhouettes,  women are reclaiming and redefining femininity within streetwear. I talk with Alana Lou, founder of Loullie—a new streetwear community space catering to women.

Streetwear has traditionally been associated with male-led subcultures, but now more than ever before, women are making their mark in these communities, demanding greater representation and creating new spaces.

The rise of TikTok, Instagram, and reels have been vital to shaping female-centric communities. It has helped create a sense of sisterhood. These platforms have nurtured safe spaces within streetwear and fashion, where women can support, inspire, and empower one another.

The trend of 'femininity' has gained significant traction over the past year on TikTok, especially within the fashion community. This trend embraces hyper-feminine pieces, featuring elements like bows, ruffles, and frills, as well as aesthetics such as 'Girly Girl' and 'Cottagecore.'"

I spoke with Alana Lou, founder of Loullie—a new women’s streetwear community and brand on Instagram that connects women through fashion. Alana shares female-focused trends, opinion pieces, and industry updates, brininging women together from all over the world."

"Streetwear has traditionally been so male-dominated that streetwear girls have often accommodated solely to that, such as wearing masculine clothes to fit in and be taken seriously, but I love this trend at the moment of girls embracing their femininity—mixing streetwear and the feminine, it is so nice to see.”

The style has been praised as playful, nostalgic, and fun, celebrating sisterhood and redefining femininity as strength—as opposed to the old 'Girly Girl' stereotypes that once linked these elements solely to 'anti-feminism.'

“We can still indulge in that streetwear aspect without losing our femininity. To me, streetwear is all about self-expression. For women it can also be expressing the masculine and baggy silhouette- but now that feminine side as well”. 

The doors are open for women to explore and celebrate their unique styles, and individuality, whether they include more masculine features or feminine ones.

"Alana's platform also sparks important conversations, like her Instagram post questioning whether women’s frequent choice to shop in the men's section highlights a larger issue: that designers and brands aren’t adapting or catering to women in these spaces. 

In her post, Alana asks: 'Shouldn’t brands and designers be acknowledging this pattern and adapting to women's wants and needs? Would things change if all brands ensured women’s collections were just as functional as men’s, or offered that same ‘boxy fit’ that women are craving?'"

When looking toward the future of women in streetwear, Alana, like many others, believes there will be a surge of women embracing streetwear, alongside a new wave of femininity entering the scene.

"I think in the future we will see more of a celebration with the feminine side of streetwear, such as girls adding more feminine shapes and fits. For years, girls have wanted solely the male silhouette but because of this new 'embracing femininity' surge, girls will opt more for the female silhouette and embrace that side to it."

Alana's favourite current streetwear designers and brands are peachyden (which she is "absolutely in love with", and Silek Works. For shopping, most of Alana's clothes are from vinted, with staple pieces such as joggers, jackets, hoodies. Stussy is another favourite because Alana loves how they always cater to women in their collections.